Greater Goods
by Composer777
Summary: The Tau, a bright and vibrant race from the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium, are dragged kicking and screaming into the long forgotten past. It is the 24th century, and the Federation are at war. Borg, Romulan, Dominion and Klingon...these are names that humanity has learned to fear. Will they learn to fear another? Will they embrace the Greater Good?
1. Damocles

"...By the Ethereals, Kor'el, sections between C and W have been lost, all decks compromised, venting atmosphere. Broadsides are not responding either!" Shas-Kor'el Kais couldn't help but close his hands into fists. The situation was desperate, his was the last remaining ship alive in the fleet. He almost growled in contempt, for their allies had attacked them, the Eldar had betrayed his people once again. The alien's lithe battleships had torn into the tau fleet. As soon as the tyranids had been neutralised the treacherous fiends had disappeared from sight and brought their guns to bear on the tau. They had only minutes ago been their allies.

Kais knew that the fleet had already suffered before this betrayal. Ships lost, men butchered, they had spearheaded the attack whilst the Eldar had hung back, sniping tyranid vessels from afar, running from anything that got too close. Kais knew that they hadn't lost a single crewman. He was almost envious, the ease at which the eldar picked apart their monstrous adversaries, how they left you chasing nothing but shadows and sensor ghosts. No Tau fleet had engaged the Eldar and survived, killed to a man or captured by cruel and terrible slavers. Kais had made history this day, no tau ship had even destroyed an eldar one, and he had done it! Such was the power of progress, and such was the skill of the ship's captain. It wasn't enough.

Kais trusted his experience, he was one of the top captains in the Bork'an sept, champion of a dozen engagements. Yet what was most fascinating about him was that he had been born of the fire caste.

Inter caste cooperation was seamless within Tau society. The workers of the five castes worked in perfect coordination, their talents utilized to their greatest potentials. Yet for one caste member to gain a position of authority within a different caste...it was almost unheard of. Against all the odds, Shas-Kor'el Kais of the Bork'an fire caste was one of the most decorated Captains in tau history.

Thirty eight years old, he had sat at his position for eighteen years, never taking the position of Kor'o (admiral), even though he could have easily done so eleven years ago. He was hero amongst his people, immortal in the eyes of his crew. Yet this old dog knew that this was going to be his last fight.

He had destroyed three elder vessels, he didn't need to see his targets to instinctively know they were there. Whilst the elder battleships were lithe and somewhat fragile, they made up for it with firepower that made his vessel had seem weak in comparison. 15 Rai'kor (17 minutes) Kais reckoned it would take for his beloved ship to be turned to molten slag, along with everything and everyone inside.

He had been through much in his adult life, and the ship, his ship, the _Light of Bork'an, _had always been there for him. It was then when Kais started to reminis, what a life he had lived.

All those years ago. I had long been fascinated by the air caste, in particular, with their star ships. My mentors had picked up on this at a very early age, they had known from then on that I had rare potential. They saw a marine in me, and dedicated marines were always in demand by the air caste. To their dismay, I was only ever interested in the workings of a ship, in control systems and naval strategies. It wasn't in my place to do so, I was punished often for it.

Eventually, I gave in and was posted to a Mk XXIV Gal'leath class battleship. They were the largest ships in the Tau fleet, until the introduction of next generation vessels. Three and a half killometers, jammed full of fighter bays, respectable broadsides and incredibly powerful dorsal mounted railguns that almost ran the length of the entire ship. They could crack a continent like an egg in a few hours and an enemy capital ship in seconds.

However, the Gal'leath class had originally made weak warships. The originals had lacked the powerful dorsal weaponry that now made them so famous, had thin armour and were vulnerable to return fire. They had never been designed to be warships, colony ships and science vessels. They were weak compared with more dedicated warships, and were very hard to maneuverer. Incredible straight-line speed, but not much else.

This newest incarnation however was an absolute killer. The latest mark could blast away anything that would dare come in range of its incredible guns. Oh how I could wield my ship, as well as any Ethereal could wield his honour blade.

Kais had reason to be proud, with his natural instincts, neural interface systems and a state of the art pilot suite, Kais could outmatch any ship. But he still knew that his end was coming.

Just as a computer terminal overloaded and showered his shielded helmet with sparks and broken glass, he thought back to an earlier engagement. The day he became captain.

_It was the climax of the Damocles Crusade. The Imperium was cutting a bloody path through tau space, sweeping aside any resistance, butchering any colony it encountered. Bork'an was one of many Septs that flocked to the defence of Dal'yth Prime, core world of its before mentioned sept. The Imperials had underestimated the tau and initial railgun salvos had claimed ships before the Imperials could even fired back. The enemy fleet broke off, adopting a looser formation, just as eleven of our best ships intercepted them._

_We were supported by orbital artillery platforms, we picked away at the Imperials. Our septs expeditionary fleet concentrated its torpedo fire on the closest ship, a Dauntless light cruiser. We got lucky, a single torpedo caused catastrophic damage to vital bulkheads inside the ship. It hull cracked and collapsed onto its energy reactors. The inevitable reactor breach then consumed the entire ship in clouds blue-hot plasma._

_Yet, the Imperials were worlds ahead of us. Our weapons were longer ranged, we could hit them at distances they couldn't hit us. But their engines were too powerful. They would close the distance, and then their sheer power would tear our fleets limb from limb. We launched everything we had at their fleet. After the death of their light cruiser, they had fourteen vessels. We had seventy. Eight Gal'leath battleships, seven escorts, the rest were powerful cruisers. It wasn't enough._

_Single blasts of laser fire from their colossal side mounted cannons instantly turned our escorts into molten slag and tore our cruisers into a thousand pieces. They had railguns as well, the first salvo crippled half a dozen of our ships. _

_It was desperate. I watched in horror on the bridge of the Light of Bork'an, as our fleet was picked apart. We had only neutralised three Imperial ships, but our commander would not give in, we had lost so many people already. _

_Our navigators were the best in the sept, we calculated a short warp jump, one hundred thousand killometers, and arrived three killometers from our intended position. The tumultuous warp had been kind this day._

_We shot out of that empyrean realm and appeared right next to a Lunar class cruiser. On paper, our ships were equals. In reality, ours was inferior. Their shields were far stronger, as was their broadsides, we were outmatched. Twenty four Rai'kor passed, not a moment later, a laser blast tore through our command centre. Navigators and pilots evaporated, others were sucked out of the ruptured hull, into the void before force fields could stop precious air and crewmen from being lost, failing to save them from slow and horrific deaths._

_Our captain, our Kor'el, was dead. Shrapnel had taken his head from his neck, blood was everywhere. Only eight of us were left, out of ninety four crewmen, only we were left on the bridge. There was no one left to pilot the ship, almost no one. It was not fear that burned through my mind, only fire. I dropped my pulse carbine and dragged the corpse of my captain from its bloody seat. No need to treat the body with respect, all that was important had ended, there is no afterlife._

_I had watched our Kor'el for Kai'rotaa (months) and I knew everything there was to know about piloting a battleship. All its main systems, all the basic commands, nothing fancy, but more than enough. It was not my place, but for the greater good and good of all tau, I had to save my ship._

_There was little time, in Rai'kor we would all be dead, ninety percent of the port armour was already gone. I had an idea, no one was going to like it but I believed it would work "All hands, brace for immediate impact" I pushed the control sticks as far as they would move to the left, I activated every starboard thruster the ship had, rerouting power those at the bow, causing the ship to turn._

_The impact was apocalyptic, the ship tore through the Imperial ship's shields, already about to collapse. One hundred meters of hull was lost during the maneuverer, I'm still not sure how the earth and air caste built my ship so strong, all that internal bracing, cross bracing and honeycombing probably, MK XXIV's were built like that. Yet for all this, the Imperial hull was still the stronger. We didn't cause much structural damage...but that was never my intension. _

_Imperial Missile systems exploded, showering the humans with thousands of fragmentations. Capacitors and batteries overloaded, filling corridors with billowing flames and expanding clouds of poisonous gas. Any weapons on a turret mounting were torn off their mountings. Within a few seconds nearly every weapon had been torn off of the Lunar class cruisers port side. _

_The prow of my ship was still digging deeper and deeper into the cruiser's hull. Eventually something would stick. I have seconds, I activate the reserve capacators that feed the gravic wing, like a secondary shield generator, this will take the brunt of the impact, stopping the hull from being ripped apart. I shut down the ships engines, diverting power to the thrusters on the port side, the breaking thrusters, anything to pull us away from the cruiser. _

_It was then that the ship stuck fast. The shunt was incredible, the ship began to turn, and we started heading backwards. I still remember it, I don't think a tau ship has recorded a higher G rating before or since. I was almost thrown out of my seat, not even the bridges grav dampeners could compensate for the change in velocity._

_The hull of the vessel shakes, something hits us, there is a squadron of Cobra class destroyers coming up on my starboard. I am not worried, the broadside on this section are completely functional, "Fire all broadsides, prime gravic launchers, present, full volley, FIRE!" The little ships are easily neutralized._

_We were clear of the ship, the powerful prow cannons zeroed in on the cruiser's centre. I ghost killed every single system on the ship, all except from life support, which had negligible power drain, and the prow weaponry itself. Some capacitors overloaded, but overall the charge of the weapons exceeded 700%. "Bridge to prow command module...destroy that cruiser" The lights of my cockpit flicker, go out, come back on. When my visual feeds come back online, the lunar cruiser has been ripped into six, ever widening pieces. _

_I hear cheers from below me. Discipline is vital on a tau ship, yet not even the hardest commander would have stopped them. It was our first victory, there was nothing sweeter. The entire battle paradigm has shifted, the enemy flagship is gone, three other ships have been destroyed. I am snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, victory is within possibility once more...and there is one more secret that could ensure it. _

_I hail the rest of the fleet, broad scope, unencrypted. I want the Imperials to see and hear this "This is Shas-Kor'vre of the battleship Light of Bork'an. The enemy is in disarray, one more push will break them completely. We have taken half of their ships from them, the other half is weak, and we have the initiative now. I implore you, launch our reserves, launch the Spear of Tau'n. Lets see how the Imperials like Castellan class Destroyers!" _

_It is then that the Imperials are on the back foot. The Castellans are next generation ships, faster, quick and manoeuvrable, with heavy ion cannons that can punch through heavy armour like a knife through skin. They have incredible armour and shields, dynamic new offensive and defensive capabilities. They are a match for the imperials. _

_We outflank them, three ships, the Castellans, shaped like the dynamic Manta rays, apex predators that swim through the seas of the Tau home world. Ion cannon and railgun punch through the weakened void shields and thin rear armour of the Imperial support ships, causing fuel cells and reactors to rupture, consuming the ships in white hot flames. Three are destroyed instantly. A frigate breaks formation, desperately trying to escape the crossfire of the Castellans and our bloodied but regrouped first fleet. It dumbly flies right into the fire arc of my prow weaponry. One lazy salvo later, is has been completely torn apart. The Light of Bork'an has achieved its fifth kill of the war. _

_Only one Imperial frigate escaped that day, the other survivor surrendered, we later embarrassed them into the greater good. We wept for our losses, but it was a proud day to be tau. _

If only today could be different. The _Light of Bork'an _had destroyed two hundred vessels in its lifetime, it wasn't going to reach two hundred and one. The only way they were escaping this was if the eldar started retreating, but why in all the wisdom of the Ethereals would that ever happ- "Sir, the eldar have vanished. Tachyon pulses, massive ones...they've gone...back into the webway...Shas-Kor'el, its over!" It was, the eldar hadn't shot at them for over five Rai'kor now.

Kor'el Kais didn't like it. The eldar never, never retreated once they had commited their forces, only unless they could not win. But they could have won! His ship was almost crippled, and eldar escort could have finished the _Light _off. What was going on? "Let's hope for our sake that this day doesn't get any stranger!" Kor'el said out loud, hoping that he hadn't spoken too soon, like he usually did. An old habit, and an annoying one for a galaxy as strange as his.

"Shas-Kor'el, I'm detecting a build up of warp phenomena, delocalised, micro singularities and Skyr (corruption) particles. Nothing like I've ever seen!" Kor'el looked of the bridges Plexiglas, it was as if space itself was heaving, boiling, like seeing a mirage on the dunes of tau. It was building, the ship was shaking a little, but more and more as time was passing "Helmsman, Kor'vre, get us out of here!" The helmsman just shook his head. "I'm sorry Shas-Kor'el, there's no where to go to, the phenomena is thousands of killometers wide!"

It kept building, there were shockwaves passing through the ship. A dodgy support pillar fell down, weakened by the battle, missing a Kor'la by mere inches. One of the sections of the bubble canopy suddenly cracked, like a thunderbolt, then another, and three more, twelve more. They weren't going to last much longer, the entire ship groaned, it was as if it were about to split in half...

...then nothing. Stillness, calm. Shas-Kor'el Kais was more confused than ever. The warp was treacherous, but it didn't just threaten to consume the universe and then dissipate again! "What happened to the warp phenomena?" A young Kor'ui asked in confusion. Shas-Kor'el had no idea. No one did. What a day it was turning out to be. First the eldar's betrayal, sadistic bullies. Than they run away on their moment of triumph, then the warp storm, larger tan anything they had ever heard of...then it just ends!

Little did they know, it was about to get a whole lot stranger.

"Sir, Kor'el, take a look at this..." The helmsman says, bringing an images of what lay behind them. All there was were the constellations, just as could be expected. Stars, nebulas, space dust...but...no, there were small differences. Upon study, Kor'el realised with shock, that there was massive differences, the shape of the heavens had...changed!

"By the ethereals" Was all he was able to breathe. "Sir, its not possible. Sensors are working perfectly. Their telling us that the stars have moved!" Their day was about to get a whole lot stranger after all, Kor'el thought solemnly to himself. He had spoken too soon!


	2. Realisation

"Kira, assessment. Whats going on?" Benjamin Sisko demanded as he stepped onto the bridge of deep space nine. He was a little grouchy, red alert sirens had just woken him from his sleep. Typical, just typical. He had only been allowed two hours of rest before all hell had broken loose!

Crew and personnel were scurrying about, getting to their stations, or performing some other vital or otherwise menial task. His trusted collegue Worf was already up. Benjamin wasn't even sure if Worf slept anymore. He wondered about many things, until he started to analyse various readouts from the consoles there. He heard Worf mutter something about 'tachyon particles' and another hushed voice, one of the ensigns, all he caught was "...this isn't possible..."

Sisko couldn't help but sniff, they got that a lot round here, the impossible. He sighed, it was going to be another one of those days, typical.

Kira, young and beautiful, extremely talented. She had now finished her work and was ready to give him updates. She was almost lost for words, but she had to give her assessment. "A massive anomaly built up across the edge of the Alpha Quadrant just one hour ago. I had never seen an event like it, some of us are still a little shaken. A subspace disturbance of colossal intensity expanded across a spherical area, roughly 300 light-years in diameter, possibly too large to be of natural origin"

Sisko didn't like the sound of that. Worf liked it even less. In addition to a mind almost programmed for war and combat, he had a very good imagination. He recalled that the Borg used subspace to travel, was some new species knocking on the door of the federation?

"Has this disturbance got anything to do with the wormhole?" The ensign asked. Sisko grumbled under his breath, "That damn floating orb" How much trouble it had caused them, directly AND indirectly "Negative" Worf barked, with all the confidence he so naturally commanded. "The wormhole has not changed, it can have no connection to this event" Kira was waiting to continue "The disturbance matches nothing that exists in our databases. It consisted primarily of mason particles and another that we cannot identify"

Another warning took Worf's attention, his eyebrows raising the moment he hade sense of the data "Incoming shockwaves, brace for impact!" The entire station shook, than again, more violent than the last, again, larger than any, and another dozen, very weak. "Any damage?" Sisko asked instantly "A few of our sensors have been disorientated, nothing more" Kira replied, a little relieved.

It was then when Sisko noticed an absence on the bridge "Where the hell is O'Brian? He should be here by now!" "Right here sir!" His calm but breathless voice floated through the door, which slid shut with a soft hiss. Kira then gasped, realising that something even more remarkable had happened "Captain..." Her voice trailing off ever so slightly "...New readouts just came in. The stars sir, the stars have moved completely out of alignment, I'm running diagnostics now...it just can't be..."

Worf was far less concerned about the position of stars than Kira, he asked her calmly "Colonel, please, what are the diagnostics telling you?" Kira continued to shake her head "I don't understand how or why, but the evidence is irrefutable. The stars have over gone nearly forty millennia's worth of stellar drift. A few have disappeared, completely unaccounted for, and nebulas I have never seen on any charts..."

No one knew what to say. Even by deep space 9 standards, this was astonishing. In all honestly, it really SHOULD have been completely impossible. "Sir, new intel, its like they've just appeared from nowhere. Artificial structures located around multiple planets around hundreds of locations...all of which are inside the regions of altered space...I'm even reading some pretty crazy energy readings, radiation emissions of incredible intensity. I'm detecting energy reactors"

Worf knows the implications of all this "The power output of such constructs must be beyond the capacity of one hundred warships if we can detect them at inter system ranges" But no one quite knew the implications of such discoveries. What in the universe was going on out there?

All Worf could think about was that film, The War of the Worlds that he had been forced to watch just a couple of days ago...

* * *

Within the glittering capital of the tau empire, a great debate was taking place. The tau home-world was incredible, with architecture and majesty that even the long destroyed Vulcan and Romulus couldn't have compared with. If the properties of an iceberg could be reversed, where the tip was its greatest point and the submerged section fell below the cloud line, not the water line, that would have done the tallest buildings on the planet justice. Some even put carriers and battle stars to shame.

Five percent of the capital world was urbanised, no more, no less. The rest of the land was for agriculture, or was a monument to the living, breathing splendour and beauty of its natural landscape, Something that all tau in their hearts held with such value. Rolling dessert, lush grasslands and thick alien jungle along the tropics and the widest of its rivers and deltas.

Matte white and pale grey, all the buildings, made of the same polymer composite material. Buildings were easy to make, no welding, no fixings, bolts or rivets, the plastic was designed to mould into itself like a liquid, gravity ensuing that the Nano engineered material would form a single seamless crystal lattice.

The council chamber was one of the grandest buildings of them all. At its centre was a mighty coliseum, so vast and grand it would have made the romans green with envy. The nano plastic gleamed in the early morning light, and people passed between its triumphant, triangular arches. Some arches were modest, no more than big gateways. Others were colossal, and a thousand tau could have walked between them, side by side, hands held in unison. Surrounding the amphitheatre was a crown like structure. Leaf like buttresses and monoliths, multiple killometers high, wilted, hung over and hung away from the central structure like some great fern or pitcher plant.

Under the council was a multitude of underground networks, bunkers and building complexes. Inside the inner sanctum, where the secret meeting chamber of the high Ethereals met, all the lords and masters of the tau people had come.

There were so many issues to discuss. The trade routes that, whilst they did not rely on, were so useful for the progression of the Greater Good, had bled dry, all of them! With few indications of why this was. Planets had reported massive gravitational and seismic upheaval, whole towns had been flattened in some cases. The people were in outcry, and the earth and air caste needed to coordinate their recourses in order to launch relief and rebuilding projects.

Strangest and most unnerving of all, all invasions and incursions into tau space had ceased. Where were their enemies? Had these strikes been the prelude to a much grander invasion? Was this a calm before a great storm? Some of the more paranoid ethereals certaintly seemed to believe that, but others were not so sure. As reports of strange new creatures coming across their territory began to trickle into Tau public networks, they were beginning to sense that something else was going on.

Only one ethereal knew the truth, and that was Aun'o'T'au'Acaya'Va'Denta, the supreme leader of all his people. Aun'Va was a focus of knowledge, he had access to all the information that his empire had at its disposal, and had friends in very high places. He had consulted the experts, astronomers and physicists of the earth caste, assessed by the intellectuals of the water and ethereal caste. He had seen the star charts himself, the evidence was clear...he was ready to address his council.

It was just a shame that he needed to use an auto voice system, the frail old tau had just lost the power of speech just three weeks ago.

The high Ethereals were not his only audience. The entire empire was watching the proceedings. But Aun'Va was not nervous, he was in his element, and his mind was clear and without even the smallest seeds of doubt. He would give them poetry. He would give his people a moment they would never forget!

"My friends, my colleagues and noble brethren. My brothers..." Tau technology replicated his voice perfectly. His voice was slow and soft, a whisper. Any quieter and you wouldn't have heard him at all. It was how Aun'Va always began. Bombard them with rhetoric, then move decisively to the point when the time was right. "...we come together under most impossible circumstances, circumstances that I believed could not come to be, circumstances that I still almost do not believe" Everyone wondered what on earth he was referring to. What was going on?

"If we are to discuss the future of the empire, and come to right and proper conclusions, we must consider the conditions in which we arrive in" He was cryptic even for an Ethereal. His words long and drawn out. But he spoke with such eloquence and authority, you could not help but listen. As his voice grew in volume, speed and majesty, it was as if he were casting a spell on you.

"We, the tau, have been forced to revaluate our place amongst the stars. We have restudied the heavens, and the celestial bodies that exist outside our boarders. We have re-studied re-plotted their positions, analysed their ambient light outputs and the levels of celestial radiation that they emit. But most importantly, we have re-studied their positions within the heavens. We are in a state of shock, for the positions and placing's of the stars, has changed!" The council gasped, so the rumours were true! Aun'Va's word was law, he only announced something when it was completely sure, Aun'Va NEVER guessed.

"We realise with amazement, that this great alteration within the shape of our heavens is not due to stellar drift, but is rather due to the opposite..." Such was the council's shock that they did not even gasp. What was Aun'Va suggesting? "...Our scientists have calculated the change exactly, [37,621 years, three months, two days and seven hours] of intergalactic stellar drift, has failed to occur" The tau at whole were stunned, they all knew what the implications were. Not that they could believe them. They all knew that time travelling to the past was impossible...if only someone could have told the warp that!

Aun'Va continued to grow in speed and volume "This knowledge leads to a single conclusion: That we have been transported to a galaxy that is far younger than we were once used to" Aun'Va couldn't help but smile. Such change was not a curse, as he was coming to realise, it was a blessing!

"The universe as we knew it was a grim and terrible place, where the tau represented but a flicker, nay! A single spark of light within the void, where naught but darkness resided. Now though...the universe is different. Warp phenomena seems all but non-existent. The earth caste tell me that anomalies that once blighted the heavens have disappeared, and the air caste tell me that the warp is far cleaner, calmer and easier to travel and navigate through than ever before!"

It was an amazing revelation, yet not the greatest that Aun'Va needed to reveal to them "Our greatest enemies are gone. The orks: Naught but an insurgency amongst our universe, possibly. The humans: They will be primitive, unadvanced, they may not have even stretched their hands out into the stars as of yet. The tyranids...millennia from our boarders. The necrons...the same, they still sleep, hidden inside their tombs, below the sands and dirt of the galaxies worlds. Only the eldar should blight us. Yet this time, they will know nothing about us, and we will know so much about them. All others have passed. No adversaries, possibly, stand in the way of our great journey!"

Another incredible revelation, greater than the last yet still not the greatest of his three "And this leads me to the new possibilities for our people. In our time, our technology was advanced, yet lacking in the face of our enemies. Now? I doubt that even humanity would even be able to comprehend our majesty!" The council shuffled nervously in their seats, yet still it was not the time to proclaim the glory of their religion and faith.

"The spreading of the Greater Good shall now take place at a velocity never before thought possible. We shall charge forth into the stars yet again to achieve what has been our holy mission all along...Oh, my friends! No longer must our people fear revenge and retribution from powers greater than us, for their are so few powers left to challenge our mission. This glorious moment, shall be remembered as the moment when the very universe itself proved the providence and validity of our holy purpose..." That moment to get to the point, it was now!

"...We shall strike as softly as the leaf on the water, yet as hard as an asteroid to an airless moon. We will shall be unstoppable, our forces shall be irresistible and our diplomats shall be unquestionable...oh my tau! Oh my friends and brothers! This shall be our finest hour, the people of the stars shall cry out our names for ever more and cry that this was the moment, that this was the time, that this was the point in our fine and glorious history when all our hopes and dreams became possible. This is that moment when the glory of the Greater Good shall not be whispered, but shouted in all the corners of the cosmos. For the glory of tau and all our allies! For the glory of the Greater Good!"

The five castes screamed and cried in joy. Some tau wept, others just leapt about gleefully, dull to their surroundings. The universe would know the wonder and brilliance of the Greater Good! No one could think of any reason why the galaxy would want to deny them...


	3. Second Contact

All was quiet, space could be like that. The little Federation spaceship was the only life within ten light years of here. It happens, loneliness was something to be expected during incursions into the gamma quadrant. The crew of the _U.S.S. Defiant_ were actually glad, being alone was a positive. If by any reason they should cease to be alone out here, would almost surely mean one thing: Dominion ships. And they didn't want any of that today!

The acting captain stood on the bridge, Lieutenant Julian Bashir was all the authority that was required for such a trivial, by the book mission. He had already proven himself, calm under pressure, able to keep control under fire, forfilling his duties under any and all circumstances. It was irregular, usually a medical officer would not have the clearance to take command over a star ship, a war ship at that, out on patrol. Unfortunately, Worf and Commander Sisko had higher priorities to attend to, and there were still patrol missions the _Defiant _had to carry out.

The ship had just been refitted, a small compliment of quantum torpedoes had just been installed onto two hard points below the ship. The vessel was already very well armed for its size, now it was piping at the seems with offensive capabilities. Even a Jem'hadar fighter would need to think twice about picking a fight with the _Defiant _now!

Besides, they trusted Bashir, and were confident that he would bring the crew back home safely _"Just bring the ship back in one piece, mind the fresh paint Julian!" _Sisko had joked, if he had any qualms about entrusting his ship to Bashir, he hid them well.

"We've reached the fourth waypoint sir, nothing out of the ordinary, little activity of any kind, nothing artificial" Ensign Nog reported, tense yet relieved that nothing had transpired as of yet. "Very good ensign, We'll make a superior officer out of you yet! Is there anything on our long ranged sensors Miles?" The Senior Chief Petty Officer was still a little sore that he hadn't gotten command over this mission, but he was getting over it. "Our lucks holding, captain"

Bashir couldn't help but smile, it would take until the end of the week for Miles to forgive him! For captain Sisko, even longer! Bashir was just as surprised that he had been given command, even if he was the most senior officer, O'Brian's credentials were very good, as were Ensigns Nog's.

Anyway, Miles was right, there was nothing out the ordinary as of yet. One more waypoint plotted to complete the sweep, the reactor was good, the cloak was holding, all systems were functioning normally. So little activity, it was highly unusual. Not even any long range sensor ghosts. Those were usually commonplace here, system sweeps and incursions into the Gamma Quadrant were like games of cat and mouse.

The Dominion always knew something was out here, but they always had to find it first. Despite its flawed stealth qualities, the _Defiant _was small and fast and nimble, finding it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, hunting for it was like hunting for a ghost.

"Sir, I've got something on sensors, but I don't really know what I'm looking at!" Bashir sighed a little, something in the young crewman's voice just put him on edge "Go ahead Ensign, tell me what you see!" He said to Ensign Sato, newly graduated from Starfleet.

His family had long been in Starfleet, his great grandmother had been one Hoshi Sato, linguistics expert and comms operator to the first ever _Enterprise. _There hadn't even been a Federation during that era, so much had changed. So young, unsure of himself, he didn't trust his instincts yet, but he would learn to trust himself with experience, it was why he was out here in the first place, filling in whilst other crewmen were absent.

The ensign smiled, and went on "Thank you captain. I'm reading some kind of subspace disturbance, delocalized, it matches no..." He suddenly stopped, everyone looked round at him "What is it?" Bashir asked coolly. "...I...I was about to say it matches no type or wave pattern known. But that's not true anymore" He typed some buttons, and brought a spectral analysis graph up onto the _Defiant's_ front screen. "Here is what I'm seeing, high energy, wildly erratic..." He typed some other keys, and another spectral graph appeared next to it "This second graph displays the spectral readings that were taken from the massive special anomaly that dissipated yesterday..."

The crew were all a little taken aback. Bashir was a medical officer, he knew next to nothing about subspace spectral analysis graphs. But he could establish one thing..."They're identical!" Bashir replied in awe. What were the implications of this? "Sir!" Miles suddenly shouted "The spectral analysis is not too dissimilar from that of one of a ship passing through subspace. But from my readings, it would suggest that the size of such a ship would be absol-"

A shockwave suddenly tore through the sector, hitting the ship in seconds. Then a second hit them, more powerful than the last, almost throwing the crew of the _Defiant _out of their seats. A boiling seething mass of red and crimson energy started pulsing in front of them, growing fast. Bashir instantly took control of the situation. "Nog, back up, back up! Full impulse. Miles, power down the cloak, raise shields, tactical alert! Ensign! Can we escape it in time?" As the bridge turned a shade of blue and the fastest accelerating ship of the fleet started backpedalling, ensign did a quick calculation and came to a conclusion "Yes sir" It was the second best news that Julian Bashir had heard all day!

The ship rumbled and shock a little as the incredible power of the _Defiant _pulled them backwards at great speed. The mass continued to grow, coming closer and closer, the anomaly would bring the shields down in seconds and tear the ship apart. The growing mass stopped just a few feet away, and a wide eyed crew relaxed back into their chairs.

"Did you know we were going to cut it that close ensign?" An ever so slightly shaken Bashir asked "Y-yes si-ir!" Nog stuttered out. "Well, warn us next time, don't let the crew think that they are seconds away from certain dea-" It was at that moment when a ship tore through the anomaly. Bashir was speechless, everyone was. Not since the attack of the marauding _Narada _on earth and the loss of Vulcan had anyone seen something like this!

The ship, was massive. As the monster shot forwards, Nog instinctively brought the ship down, falling underneath the massive ship as not to be wiped out in an instant. The shockwave of the vessel tearing through the fracture in reality hit the _Defiant _like a tidal wave, and was picked up by the force of it and carried twenty killometers at great speed before the wave finally dissipated "NOG! Bring us about, Miles, shields, damage report!" "No damage, shields are holding at 81%...oww! My arm!" Bashir glanced over, but quickly realised his officer was fine, nothing broken, the shunt wasn't that violent. He was just being dramatic again!

It was then when th acting captain looked out of the window again. And his jaw dropped completely "What the hell..." Nothing today could have prepared he and his crew for this!

* * *

"Kor'ui, Kor'vre! Damage assessment!" Shas-Kor'el Kais demanded, he needed to work out where they were! "What happened to the warp phenomena?" A young Kor'ui asked in confusion. Kais had no idea. No one did. What a day it was turning out to be. First the eldar's betrayal, now this damn warp storm, larger than anything they had ever seen. Little did they know, it was about to get a whole lot stranger.

"Shas-Kor'el, I am reading a single vessel, tiny, it reminds me of an Imperial fighter. I'm ordering forward gravic launchers to-" "No Kor'vre! They are not attacking! nor are they Eldar, the vessel also reminds me of an Imperial ship. It could be a rogue trader, they may not be enemies of the Tau. Hail them, send out a greeting, the vessel is tiny, it cannot be of threat to us, even in our precious state...Re-charge sields whilst you're at it!" "Of course, wise Kor'el. It will be done!"

Kais stood up from his seat, regaining his calm and composure. He would meet these new people, they may not even be human. Another species to join the tau? Hand in hand as they walked in the light of the Greater Good! Kais chucked, he had never been too religious! For now, they would only talk. He started brushing the ash and dust from his XV-14, the mass production version of the experimental XV-02 battle suit. He would look good for this, he could be making first contact! Using the mind impulse unit embedded into his spinal column, he commanded his suit to drop visor, so as these new people could see his face.

* * *

"Assessment, Ensign, what can you tell me about the vessel?" Bashir needed to know if this behemoth posed a threat to his ship, and quickly! "Unknown vessel configuration, matching that of no culture or species on recorded. I'm reading weapons platforms...hundreds of them...the ships power readings...off my charts, its like I'm analysing the output of an entire fleet! Its a warship sir, has to be, more powerful than anything I could have imagined!"

Bashir was nervous, the ship seemed heavily damaged, it was colossal, but it was the spaces at the front that took his eye. They were cannons, they reminded him of mass accelerators he had seen. There were three cannon in total, and looked large enough to fire projectiles larger than the defiant itself. If those cannons ran the entire breadth of the dreadnaught...what could any species want or need such power for?

"Sir, were being hailed. Its the war ship!" Bashir was intimidated, what kind of beings would build this ship? Why were they hailing him? He cleared his throat, Bashir had no reason to reject them. Whatever the motive, all he knew was that they just wanted to talk. "Put it through, on screen!"

* * *

Kais was a little taken aback. This was not a new alien species, it was human. It was the most unusual human vessel he had ever seen, nothing like the ostentatious warships he was used to. This vessel, and its crew for that matter, was so different from what he had seen in the Imperium, and any that stood apart from their regime.

It was possible, not all humans lived under the banner of the Imperium. There were separate kingdoms, rebel worlds, trading outposts. But this was something new. And, was that a human at the lower corner? Some kind of astropath perhaps? "Greetings humans. I am Shas-Kor'el, Bork'an, Kais Lar Cal Caor, commander of this mighty vessel, the _Light of Bork'an, _Gal'leath class. I extend my hand in peace and friendship. We meet under peaceful circumstances, of this, I am most glad. My crew and I has been though hell. I hail you out of curiosity only, to learn more about you, and as per our doctrine, to gauge your compatibility with that of the Greater Good"

Bashir was shocked, he had never seen this person's species in his life. It confused him though that he (If it was a he) spoke as if he and humans were well aquatinted. He was short but powerfully built, wearing an incredible suit of armour, that would have gleamed in the light of his bridge had he not been covered head to foot in dust. What a magnificent name it had, not that Bashir understood any of it "I am Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, acting Captain of the _U.S.S. Defiant. _I embrace your gesture of friendship, but I must say, I have never encountered your kind before"

Kais was a little confused. How backwater was this human? How isolated his domain that he did not know of the tau? It was good news, at least the human wasn't an Imperial. Acting captain, those words brought back strong memories. The Damocles Crusade, the day he turned the tide of an entire war, and as a gift was given command of the ship he had so skilfully operated. Such joy had he felt that day. It turns out that a tau can change his stars after all.

Kais could easily relate to this human. The man seemed pleasant, worlds more enlightened than the xenophobic and cruel people he had first met. He hadn't thought humans possible of such admirable qualities. It was then when a monitor bleeped on his command suit terminal. The diagnostic scans of the human ship. He was a little stunned, such an advanced vessel. Elegant, lithe, no crude design by any means. Flawed in some areas, weak in power, yet amazingly efficient. Then came its weapons, modest by some views, yet effective. This ship could outmatch one twice its size, almost comparable to a Kir'la escort, but not quite.

"Captain Bashir, the vessel is scanning us. They are punching through our shields and armour as if it were not there" Bashir felt a little violated "Scan them too...its only fair!" disturbingly, his ship could not punch through the tau's armour.

"Your vessel is most remarkable, human. For its diminutive size, most impressive. I have not encountered a vessel quite like it" Bashir smiled, he took the compliment well "Thank you, I am most astonished by your vessel, I have never seen anything like it either. Err, what might I call you? I'm not sure I caught your name!" Kais realised his error, and was only apologetic "But of course human, or Julian, whichever you prefer. My full title is as I said, Shas-Kor'el, Bork'an, Kais Lar Cal Caor. Human culture makes use of far less eloquent titles of course as I am aware of, you may refer to me as Kor'el Kais"

Bashir nodded "I will not forget it, and thank you for using my name my good captain" Kais smiled, this human was so polite, and to a tau as well, most unusual! So admirable. Also very innocent, optimistic, something that did not serve one well in a hostile galaxy "Most kind Julian..." It was than when his observations officer interrupted "Shas-Kor'el, five vessels have ben detected. They appear to be travelling through the warp, almost undetectable, however that is possible. They will be on us in moments judging the vessel's velocity!"

Kais grunted, this was most troubling. Was this human more devious than he had thought? Were they stalling, holding him here for an attack? But if the human was as innocent as he suspected, perhaps they had nothing to do with these incoming vessels. Good thing his vessel was always on red alert. "Quickly human, do you know of any incoming vessels travelling through the warp?" Bashir didn't understand. Vessels? the warp? What was Kor'el talking about?

"Sir! Subspace disturbances building, we've got incoming, its big!" And at that moment, the ships tore into real space. "Oh God! This is not happening! They have a dreadnaught, a God damn dreadnaught! Some three killometers long!" Bashir stared in horror at the gigantic ship, it was almost a big as the Gal'leath class warship. To make matters worse, the dreadnaught was supported by two Jem'Hadar fighters, a battle cruiser and a Cardassian frigate. It was a killer armada. And that dreadnaught was something else!

"Kor'el, these are members of the Dominion. Hyper violent, they will tear your ship apart, you must get out of here!"

* * *

"Kor'el. New vessels, sleek in design, non-human occupants. Suggest we hail them immediately!" Kais nodded, his ship's shields had recharged to 82%. He just hoped that would be enough "Human, Julian, it is you who must get away. The _Light of Bork'an _will deal with these Dominion vessels!" Before Bashir could speak, Kais had shut him off. "The Dominion flagship is hailing us, putting them through" It was tau doctorine, standard procedure, even though Kais knew how this was going to work out. Hyper violence was nothing new to him.

A scaly individual, reminding Kais somewhat of a very small ork, began to speak. The image instantly appeared inside his armour's collar "Unknown vessel. We are the Dominion. You have violated our space and violated our territory. Now you will die!" The image then disappeared, and all hell broke loose.

Beams of energy danced across emitter veins and reactive panels. Larger beams and defocussed energy pulses tore at the _Light of Bork'an _from more obvious turret mountings and particle tubes utilizing flawlessly overcrossing firing arcs. High yield warheads, torpedoes based on particle flayer technology, disassembling atoms at their near most basic level. There was Antimatter based weaponry too, and caused massive release of energy that annihilated everything it touched.

The barrage was apocalyptic by the standards of a galaxy which was mostly at piece. But it was almost futile against a force that knew only war. The crew of the _Defiant _had activated their cloak, and moved away from the battle, unnoticed by the Dominion forces, watching from the side-lines. Horror turned to awe, and a barrage that should have crippled a dozen Federation ships in the first salvo, did not even scratch the tau dreadnaught.

Kais did a quick assessment...and smiled. The ships were fast, he had to give them that, almost as fast as eldar vessels. But whilst they had good legs, they did not have good claws. This would be an easy hunt!

"Kor'el, shields are holding, 73% capacity. Prow railguns are charged and ready, power drain is negligible. Broadsides are responding once more, drone operation only" As soon as his ship's shields dropped he was in trouble, but he did the correct thing and waited patiently. The largest ship was tracking left, perfect. His eyes were honed by a decade and a half of command experience. He analysed the Jem'Hadar vessels, assessing their weaknesses, all their weaknesses!

The vessel was about to expose its topside, Kais sensed the armour was weakest there "Graviton rounds have been locked and primed, awaiting your order sir!" The sub commanders deck in command of the ships prow systems updated. The sub command deck knew its craft well, they had picked the most perfect munitions for the job at hand. Graviton rounds, filled with anti-graviton particles. "Shields at 51% capacity!" A kor'vre yelled as another salvo hit the ship. The Dominion were throwing everything at his vessel. The bravery of idiots!

"Almost,_ almost..._FIRE!" The three munitions accelerated rapidly, from their starting point at the keel to the tip of the massive barrels. When antimatter collided with normal matter, both were annihilated and would release massive amounts of energy. When gravitons and anti-gravitons came into contact, both were annihilated too. But the breakdown of such fundamental particles had a very different, no less deadly effect.

The munitions brought the dreadnaughts shields down in nanoseconds, and the rounds bit deep into the star ships hull. The Nano formed armour was itself stronger than most that existed in the 41st millennium, yet there was only a few centimetres, not meters of it, and it was useless. The rounds tore into the ship, the kinetic energy alone enough to break down the structural integrity of the entire hull.

Then the rounds set to work. They detonated inside the very heart of the vessel. In a cataclysmic reaction that seemed to defy the laws of physics themselves, the ship was forced apart at an atomic level, and the ship and most of its crew were transformed into slivers of hypersonic shrapnel. Jem'Hadar, Cardassian and federation crew alike could not believe what they had just seen. The tau vessel could cancel out the force of gravity itself!

"Good timing sir, shields holding at 43%. Its a shame that the other enemy vessel's pathetic shielding couldn't withstand the detonation!" The Shas'vre bodyguard was correct, there was a huge shard of metal embedded through the centre of the Cardassian vessel, almost as big as the ship itself. The Cardassians were dead in the water, their only salvation was that the reactor hadn't breached "Lock onto all the smaller ships, target the escorts. Align the gravic launcher systems, I'll bring the ship forward, allow our boadsides to come to bear"

The enemy ships were weak, fast, but weak. Broadsides would tear them apart. It was almost pitiful, the _Light of Bork'ans _anti aircraft systems were a match for their weaponry. Dominion weaponry was very advanced, more sophisticated than the Tau's. Yet they were underpowered, the ships reactors were lacking, they could not hurt his battleship. He could have them all destroyed before his shields went offline, but just in case. "Re-route power from the prow railguns, recycle to the shields, that should let us survive another half dozen salvos or so"

The federation crew continued to watch in awe. Hypervelocity torpedoes tore into the Jem'Hadar fighters, bringing the shields down after half a dozen strikes, and ripping them apart after another six high yield warheads instantly penetrated their thin hulls. Such a symphony of destruction, and those prow mounted weapons, not even a Borg cube could have stood against such an onslaught. How it had destroyed the dreadnaught so easily, what was once an unstoppable Jem'Hadar force had become weak and pathetic.

As the fighters continued to explode, the _Light of Bork'an_ was closing on the cruiser. Soon it would bring its weapons to bear on the final Dominion ship. Death was seconds away. It was then that the cruiser activated its warp engines, was survival the better part of valour? It semed to be today! Only the dreadnaught had been equipped with a subspace engine, the others had followed in its wake. Warp was the only escape now.

It was at that moment when the _Defiant _picked up an open hail, broadcast over all frequencies. "Human vessel, please, do not fear us. Know us not as bloody marauders, but as enlightened beings who are not afraid to defend themselves. We shall leave you in peace, we must return to our space. Farewell"

And without another word, they opened up a portal into subspace and disappeared from view. The perplexed crew of the little _Defiant _are left in silence once more. Trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.


	4. Enlightened Negotiations

"Enlightened Negotiations? That was what he said?" Sisko queried, not sure whether he understood what this actually meant. "Yes sir. The universal translator found no anomalies, this is precisely what Aun'Va said" The sub commander was an expert in linguistics. Sisko just shook his head, was this the manner in which all of these tau spoke?

Of course, this was still first contact. A brand new species had been discovered, and was coming to meet with the Federation, surely this was a day for celebration? The problem was that half of every species that they seemed to meet were warmongers, and the other half always seemed to hold a dark side, not that humans were any exception.

Sisko had good reason to be apprehensive, the last time first contact had been made in this sector, a Starfleet Galaxy class cruiser had been instantly destroyed. This was the first impression the Dominion had ever left on the Federation. He wasn't optimistic about these tau either, and judging by how powerful their weapons were...

"I'd never seen anything like it sir" Bashir had began, as soon as he had gotten back to deep space nine. "Not since the day Vulcan was detroyed...red matter aside, not even the ancient _Narada _would have been a match for this tau battleship" Sisko didn't like the idea of having another powerful alien species knocking on the Federations door.

This was a new species, never before encountered. They didn't know how good an indicator of their military might was just by going off of this one ship. Best case scenario, the _Light of Bork'an _was a one off, a state of the art vessel. Worst case, this was just a small portion of their power. Even Benjamin Sisko, slightly pessimistic and the realist that he was, had to hope. He sincerely hoped that the latter was the false assessment.

"And it did all this whilst damaged?" Sisko asked, watching the recorded battle unfolding on his wrist piece "Yes captain. It had sustained massive damage. It had already sustained weapons fire, I'm still trying to establish what kind of weapons actually caused the damage... such strange readings...there were holes and craters all over, and look at that side (Pointing to the critically damaged sections on the port side) It looks like it picked a fight with an asteroid and lost! And yet still it destroyed the Dominion dreadnaught and its supporting vessels!"

Sisko couldn't help but feel a little relieved, even if these Tau were worse than the Dominion, this was a severe blow to their enemy. It would have been one for the history books if the Federation had achieved such a victory, that was for sure! the Dominion would be pretty damn pissed at the loss of a dreadnaught! Allies or not, the tau were about to take a lot of heat away from the Federation. "Their captain was an interesting character by no mistake" Ensign Nog broke in "Pleasant, honourable, but there was also something in his eyes, something that just seemed...dangerous. The kind of look you would see in a Klingon warrior, or a wild predator. The look of a killer"

This did not sit well at all. Klingons, few of them were actual warmongers, but most of their warrior caste had this same look he was describing. The look of a man who had learned to enjoy war. It was not a good impression. Sisko sighed, it was going to be a long day "And now this Aun'Va, representative of the Tau Empire..." An empire, things were getting worse and worse! "...Has organised an official meeting with the Federation high hats, and has dispatched an envoy to our quiet little home" He chuckled, he couldn't help but see the funny side of all this.

"Looks that way sir" Kira answered with a sigh, she had just finished updating the spectral analysis on the wormhole, boring as usual "We get to meet them all over again, I almost can't wait to meet our new friends!" Everyone laughed, but it was a dark joke. Everyone felt in their gut that this was just going to lead to the discovery of a brand new enemy. The optimism that had once buoyed the Federation had disappeared long ago from deep space nine...

* * *

Aboard the bridge of the _Enterprise, _Jean-Luc Picard's brow furrowed as he analysed the latest of the galactic news and Starfleet info readouts. The Romulans, the Borg, The Dominion, now this? Still, looking on the bright side, it would give the _Enterprise _the opportunity to go out and explore the universe once again, something since the Dominion, they had not done in a very long time.

His crew, tireless, most of them were still here. Data, well, B-4, another Soong-type cybernetic organism. But the creation was unique, lesser than his old crewman, but improved every day.

Soong was a genius, no one had been able to equal his achievements, although Dr Lewis Zimmerman was coming very close with his holographic creations. The six androids he had hand built, nothing matched them. Vast improvements had been made to B-4's positronic brain, he was a vastly more advanced being than the one Jean-Luc had met the year previous. The android still had those curious personality episodes, where he would behave like Data.

"Captain" The android began suddenly, hearing a bleep on his monitor "We are receiving an encrypted message from Starfleet command, words only. They want us to alter course and head for Deep Space nine. Our orders are to go there immediately, and I quote, Absolutely no exceptions" Picard sighed deeply, disappointment obvious. Looks like exploring would have to wait a little while longer.

"B-4, how long will it take us to reach the station at high warp?" It sounded important, he needed to get there as soon as possible "At warp 9 we can be there in two days time" That was good enough for Picard, but just in case "Wesley, take us to Warp 9.6, plot the shortest course towards Deep Space nine" Wesley did as he was asked "Sir yes sir. What do you think is going on down there?" B-4 already knew the answer "It appears that a first contact meeting is taking place on board the station. We have encountered a powerful knew civilization called the Tau Empire, which was encountered inside of the Gamma Quadrant. The _U.S.S. Defiant _reported that a tau warship was engaged by a Dominion response fleet, three escorts, two cruisers and a Jem'Hadar dreadnaught"

That last bit caused a gasp amongst the bridge crew, a dreadnaught had only ever been encountered once before. Picard only hoped that the tau had been fast enough to disengage. But of course, B-4 wasn't finished "Remarkably, the tau vessel was significantly larger than even the Jem'Hadar dreadnaught. Even more remarkably, the tau vessel proceeded in destroying the Dominion fleet, a single cruiser escaping to tell the tale"

No one uttered a word. It would have taken a Starfleet armada to have achieved such a victory, yet this one vessel had taken the battle single handily. Only a bombastic William T Riker was able to speak "It'd be interesting to meet these tau after all captain, See what we're doing wrong when it comes to handing out Jem'Hadar ass kicking!" That helped to lighten the mood a little, humour was a brilliant coping mechanism with stress and fear.

It was at that moment when the warp nacelles activated, and propelled the ship at high speed towards what was going to be a most interesting meeting...

* * *

"Are we expecting any guests sir?" Warf asked captain Benjamin Sisko out of curiosity as he and the captain were walking to the ready room. "We are Lieutenant. A bunch of top naval brass, a few ministers who were close enough to board ship and meet us here in time. An old friend of yours will be coming as well Worf, Jean-Luc Picard will be representing us" He said, smiling weakly.

Worf almost stopped walking, turning around when he heard his old comrades name. His blank, hazel eyes almost glazed over as the of past adventures started coming back "They seem honourable, just like Klingons. Should the tau turn out to be hostile beings, Jean-Luc will show them what humans are capable of. If they are not, they will learn that his charms are an even greater weapon to be used against them" Sisko couldn't help but chuckle, Worf would never change "Sounds like fighting talk Lieutenant, perhaps it would be best not to threaten our guests? First impressions are key here"

Worf sighed gutturally, of course, he wasn't here to take part with the negotiations, not directly. Arguably the most capable tactical officer in the alpha quadrant, Worf's job would be that of escorting the tau envoys to and from the station, and if push came to shove, dealing with any violence. "Pah!" The Klingon ambassador walkng alongside his Starfleet counterpart spat.

The ambassadors name was Antaak Ho'petaq (Antaak Red-Teeth). A typical warrior, brutal and cunning even amongst his caste. He did try to uphold the honour and respect of his family name, even in front of the weaklings of the federation. Had it not been for Worf's distinguished career, Antaak would have had no respect for the turncoat either. But not enough respect as to not have his back turned to Worf, dishonouring him. Both held their tongues, there was talking to be done. But there is only so far you can push someone...

"Their ships are strong, but they are small and puny, with weak blade arms judging by the one I saw on the footage" Footage taken from the Tau's hail to the _Defiant,_ he hadn't seen the battle. Neither did he know that only a single tau ship had been present "They are not warriors, I have seen nothing that demands respect of them as of yet!" Worf turned on him with much anger, he had finally had enough with him! Speaking in Klingon, he says: _"__Stop! Hold your ignorant tongue! Your bitter words will bring harm to the Federation and the Klingon empire if you dare speak them before the Tau!" _

Antaak could not believe this honourless worm's audacity! With venom, the seven foot Klingon drew right into Worf's face, spitting: _"How dare you challenge me, traitor! I would gut you where you stand and throw your twisted corpse to the Targs if you were still a member of the empire, honourless turncoat!" _Worf had killed larger, and uglier men than this bully. Worf did not fear him. He replied calmly, in English "Then it is good, that I am of Starfleet, Antaak" Worf knew how to handle himself in a fight. No Bat'leath had ever broken his skin! Actually, that was a bare faced lie, Worf had been hit by a Bat'Leth once...But he had been distracted!

"Hah!" Antaak hissed in indignation, tougher than he thought! Sisko was worried now, would this ambassador jeopardise the talks? Perhaps the arrogant Klingon would be proven wrong? "Keep your calm ambassador. This is diplomacy, not combat. Keep your temper, and you wont piss these tau off" It was the only way to deal with warriors.

The gambit worked, Antaak was impressed, but would never admit it. The humans had such good words, he thought to himself...Shame he would never be caught dead using them, his comrades would ridicule him for the shame of embracing non-Klingon culture. "Still, we should post troops and warships in around their space and any nearby worlds. To contain these creatures and any they have brought with them!" A Klingon bird of prey had had encountered an Orca drop ship in neutral space. They had seen some kind of insectoid species on the hail screen, guarding their Tau pilot.

"No Antaak. It may sound like wisdom, but the Federation, for all your hatred of us, are not warmongers. Posting troops will antagonise them, they may see us as hostile threats. And if they are not friendly, with the Borg, Romulans, Dominion and your own kind in threat...we would not want a fifth enemy on our doorstep" For all the human's faults, he held wisdom, even if it was cowardly.

They had finally reached the ready room, it was here where they would hold their meeting. There were already Federation members here, the Admiral, the ministers: A Tellerite, two Andorians, three Vulcans and two other humans. All of these in addition to the other members of Starfleet. Worf's eyes met with those of another aged officer. Even as a Klingon, his eyes couldn't help but light up. The other man, snow white hair, burst into the widest smile he had seen all week "Worf!" The man exclaimed in joy. Worf returned a fierce and toothy smile "Captain Picard!" And the two took hold of each others shoulder, it was as imitate as Worf ever got.

"It is good to see you again, my old friend!" The old captain said with sincerity "You as well Jean-Luc, we meet again under historic circumstances" Jean-Luc couldn't help but smile again. It was just like old times, and this was just as good as exploring the galaxy "Ready to make history once again?" He replied, almost playfully. Worf bowed with dignity "I am Captain!" He replied, doing so in kind. "My security team is ready and waiting by the docking ports. I must go and wait for the tau ambassadors" Picard nodded, and patting his old friends shoulder said "Of course Lieutenant, go see to your duties" Worf bowed again "Yes captain, when the meeting is over" Picard was sure he had just offered him for a drink after the meeting was over. He smiled "When the meeting is over!"

Worf turned and left, and Picard went over to greet Sisko and his tall companion "Captain Sisko, ambassador" They had their differences, but Sisko did respect Jean-Luc "Picard, good of you to arrive. I hope you will forgive the high command for bringing you here on such short notice" Jean-Luc almost smiled "I wouldn't have missed this for the world...what about you ambassador, ready to meet the locals?" Antaak thought humans cowardly, but he could not dismiss someone as regarded as Captain Picard. His people would never admit it, but even a few Klingons revered and feared him in equal measure.

"Picard, the tau will know that they face a human of skill and great resolve" Picard smiled "Thankyou ambassador, they are sure to see a great warrior and brave soldier in yourself" The Klingon laughed, these humans were impossible. He slapped Picard on the back and walked away to greet some of his fellow comrades that had just entered. Sisko and Picard turned to each other, and rolled their eyes. They both went to speak, but were interrupted by a hail from the stations command bridge "Ambassadors, the tau have just arrived. They will be joining us via shuttle in three minutes time"

Jean-Luc turned to Benjamin and smiled "So much for the pleasantries Benjamin" Sisko nodded solemnly "Indeed Jean-Luc, indeed. Shall we take our places?" "Mst certainly"

Meanwhile a Il'Porrui (Emissary) class star ship had launched an Orca drop ship to Deep Space Nine, and it had just docked with the station. The ambassadors, the two ethereals and their bodyguard of Shas'vre fire warriors, resplendent in their tan-yellow armour: These were from the tau home world itself! They were ready to represent their people and their empire, and they were ready to extent the message of the Greater Good with warm and open hands to the humans of the Federation.


	5. Covert Negotiations

Dawn was ending now across the width and breadth of the Laurentian. This colossal section of stable, continental crust was indomitable in the minds of the humans who went about their daily lives. Work and leisure, one hundred thousand routine lives mixing, intertwined amongst the great sentinel like skyscrapers of their great city. Work went on, as the warm sun caste the last of its light across the valley, plunging their world into twilight as it sank below the peaks of the tall hills beyond, giant re wood trees casting long, spindly shadows.

Did it occur to anyone that their city or the soil that they worked on would ever disappear? Of course not! For the North American crust had existed for more than a billion years, and as long as the city of San Francisco had been going on for, well, the two establishments had to be indomitable. They were safe, they were secure...or so they thought. Starfleet was worried. A ship had just moored up at

San Francisco had a prestigious history as a place of peace. In 1945, the Charter for the United Nations was signed in the city by some fifty of Earth's nation-states. After World War III, the nations of the world met in San Francisco to negotiate a peace treaty. Two momentous occasions, both meant to signify the end the hostility of man against man, acts that were to end all future war. Hopefully, the latter of the two honestly did signify the end of such things.

Sadly, those visionaries had failed to take one factor into account: Extra terrestrial life, and now, the wisest men in the Federation feared tat the lives of humanity, and of all the Federation, were now at risk once again. Optimism had ended long ago, too many disasters, too many tragedies, they had worn earth down, the golden era had ended decades ago. Of course, poverty, ignorance, sickness and pain were all but a thing of the past, they had the power now to end all of these things, and by hell they did work tirelessly to ensure all of this took place. no citizen of the Federation should ever have to endure such things, but the Federation was worried that such a time of darkness would occur again.

How many threats were there amongst the stars? The great superpowers of the galaxy seemed to be gathering, like carrion, ready to feast on their prey below. The Klingon Empire, they loved personal combat, they seemed to need it just like a man or Andorian needed food and water. The Romulan Star Empire, expansionist, they moved out to the stars beyond, they conquered worlds every decade. Only fear kept them from invading the Federation altogether. The Borg...it wasn't worth thinking about. The Dominion, greatest of them all, high brass tacticians believed that not even the Borg would be able to withstand them.

They were desperate, one of these powers would be enough to end their cherished, fragile kingdom. They had kindly kept such fear from their people, not even some of Starfleet knew of the true danger that their universe was in. And now...to ad even further to their paranoia and desperation, a new power had come out of hiding from the dark shadows of the void. Were they allies? Starfleet doubted it. Optimism had left their commanders long ago. Was it a new name they needed to fear?

The Tau Empire was here, and represented just one more weight on the mind of the Federation. They were desperate, they despised war and conflict, but they knew that it was coming. They hated violence, hurt and pain, how could they not? But they knew that it was coming, and knew that they did not have the powers to stop it. They despised war, but they knew it was coming. And worse of all, they knew there as nearly know way they could win it.

but there was a hope, they needed to prepare, they needed to develop the tools to weather the coming storm. Their people were incredible scientists, and even greater engineers. Envious Jem'Hadar accused their engineers of being able to turn rocks into replicators! but for all their skills, the Federation just didn't have minds enough for war. If push came to shove, Starfleet didn't have the strength to hold their enemies at bay. Their engineers could not design weapons good enough to defeat them. There was nothing the Federation could do to stop them.

They just weren't savage enough, not primitive enough. For all their positives, their near pacifist ideals and peaceful ways of life didn't look so smart. They just weren't primitive enough to survive this...

But there was hope. The Federation never forgot the past. Thousands of years of human history, not much of it was relevant, much was obsolete, but there was one small piece that offered them a hope of survival. The Federation had many secrets, and a team of Starfleet personell was heading towards them right now. The security team was ready, deep within the catacombs, the massive underground network below Starfleet headquarters. A lot of things went on down here, design, manufacture, experiments and many dark things. Even mankind had dark secrets.

Twenty one soldiers in total, many of which were former MACO's. MACO's, a sub-divison amongst Starfleet. They were a small organisation, Starfleet abhorred such militaristic organisations, but security teams just didn't always cut it. Conventional ground warfare was all but obsolete, if in orbit superiority was eve lost, large scale ground formations were as good as dead. But, lightening strikes from well coordinated infantry platoons still had a purpose, and as I said earlier, security teams just didn't cut it. MACO's were good, but the couple of thousand men that made up their four remaining regiments couldn't fight a war for them.

They needed weapons, they needed soldiers, and Starfleet knew the only man in the universe who could deliver them both...if only they could get him to cooperate. The security team were just as apprehensive, would forty men be enough? "I cant believe what were doing" one of them said to his taller, MACO comrade "Yeah, fucking incredible" The sergeant responded sarcastically, wishing his squad member would get a sense of perspective.

It was quite remarkable though, Sergeant Mendez knew the story well, His great uncle had been one Montgomery Scott, and he had told his young nephew all the stories of his journeys with the late great Captain Kirk aboard the _U.S.S. Enterprise. _the innocent man talking to him was an old family friend, he'd known him since he was three, Anton Sulu. For all his innocence, the private was kind of right, he couldn't really believe that they were heading for room Epsilon 3XB either.

Epsilon 3XB: Cryogenics storage facility, one of seven, and the most secretive of them all. Some of these tunnels were centuries of years old, relics built during the era before the last great human war, doors were operated by heavy deadbolts and were built of titanium and high grade steel many metres thick. They guessed that it would take at least a type-4 phaser to punch through, these doors had shield generators now.

But today all they needed was the correct security clearance. Once they had approached the door, activated the security protocol's, the massive circular construct turned open. Phaser to stun, rifles raised, they paced slowly into the cryogenics room. It was quite dark, only a few lights, to prevent the occupants of the room falling prey to photonic-deterioration. There were standing inside a long, corroded corridor. Rising damp was everywhere, the room stank too. seventy three cryogenics pods were aligned in neat, parallel rows, arranged into four columns, ice and condensation formed up against their glass casings, obscuring the occupants inside from view.

They walked past a dozen rows of pods, until one of the men at the front stopped. Something had caught his eye, a word, or more to the point, a name. It was something he had seen on the Lieutenants wrist monitor. "Cereal number: _3749QG4V2 - __John Harrison..._sir, is this the one?" He asked tentatively. The Lieutenant looked round, he had been scanning the other side. "Yes, _John Harrison. _That's who we are looking for" Mendez was stunned, he had memorised his fathers stories as a child, he knew who this man was "No...Lieutenant, I thought that this man was killed decades ago?" Lieutenant Fredric Kalu turned to him, and smiled, he answered in his thick south African accent "Well, I guess that Mr Harrison here is the victim of another Federation cover up"

Everyone was apprehensive, after one press of a button, the pod would begin its reanimation cycle, no one was quite sure how its occupant would react. Orange lights began to light up the reveal a human male, tall, a shock of black hair, distinguished v-shaped eyebrows, just like any Vulcan, Romulan or a deadly bird of prey. Another of the privates was most apprehensive of them all. And asked unsurely "Sir, what should we err, do if he attacks?" Kalu took a deep breath, and after exhaling answered "Just don't do anything stupid, and keep your phaser on stun"

Steam and water vapour began pouring out of the pod as the mechanisms started over heating, all part of the process. The occupants heart began to warm, and began beating at a stable rate. Oxygen flooded the compartment as the old warrior took his first breath in over ninety years. His eyes snapped open, and he was on red alert. He was back in his cryogenics chamber, a place he had vowed never to be again. Anger and hate burned through him, but he suppressed the emotions the instant they surfaced. He saw the men, but first he saw the guns...it was all he needed.

He knew he had only seconds, bracing, screaming, he pushed with all his strength. As he bellowed in defiance, the glass fractured, metal buckled, and the pod's door was wrenched straight off its hinges, no match for the man underneath. He kicked down with his legs, and in a double backflip he landed clean on his feet in a crouched position. He proceeded to elbow the bemused security officer standing right by him, straight into the stomach, rupturing blood vessels. The man groaned in pain and keeled over. As he did, the warrior grabbed his rifle, wrenching it clean out of his hands, it rolled straight out of his grip with near to no resistance, too easy! Using the momentum of the disarmed officer, the warrior smashed the butt of the rifle into his knee. This produced a fulcrum, and the centripetal force pulled the officers legs out from under him, his head smacking the cryo pod, knocking him out.

"Shoot him!" one officer shouted, big mistake. With supernatural reaction speed, the warrior rolled, accelerating faster than any man could move he dodged half a dozen phaser blasts, not that that would have even knocked him out. He then leaped out of his roll, and in mid air smashed his rifle against the nearest soldier. The blow depressed the man's skull, the massive trauma caused would be fatal if not treated immediately.

The warrior ducked again, shielded from the return fire by the pods around him. Exploiting a break in the fire, he formed up over the pod in a split second and fired two shots, scoring two hits, darted away faster than you could have believed. As he leaned against the wall of the pod, he shot at a MACO who turned the corner, firing first. He heard another's trousers brushing against the side of the pod behind him on his exposed six. Turning 180*, he fired before the MACO could even zero in on him.

As the warrior pulled up over the wall again, he went to fire, but something stopped him "HOLD FIRE!" Kalu screamed, with such authority that everyone, including the warrior froze. "John Harrison, please stop this. We mean you no harm, my men are merely an insurance!" The warrior was still dazed after such a long spell in stasis. He began analysing his men, there was something familiar about the uniforms...STARFLEET OFFICERS! Giving nothing away, he shot again at the men, taking down another five, missing only Kalu who anticipated the phaser blast and moved before the ancient soldier fired his way.

The warrior hissed, he didn't miss, this man, obviously a leader of sorts, wasn't completely clueless...which was more than he could tell about the other...ten excuses for soldiers still standing. But he would still avenge the deaths of his brothers, he would never stop fighting them, he would avenge...he supressed the emotions again, he steadied, aimed and fired. This entire thought process took 0.2 seconds.

Another three officers fell, they all dived for cover. "hit him for fuck sakes!" A panicking MACO shouted to his sergeant. Mendez had a kill tally of ten Klingons, three Romulan warriors and a rogue Tellarite mercenary to his name, he was no stupid red shirt...but he was no match for the warrior. They must have fought for about three seconds, but them Mendez made a mistake. A normal man would never have noticed the opening, but his opponent was no normal man.

The warrior had dropped his phaser at the start of the fight. He evaded two fast hits aimed at his head, moving back fast. As his opponents centre of gravity shifted to the right, the warrior pushed out with his foot, making contact with the sergeant's left leg, pushing it back, breaking the sergeant's stance. As the his balance collapsed and his body toppled forwards, the warrior wrapped his right arm around the MACO's neck, pushing the other under his stomach in an improvised throw. The warriors left shoulder pressing against the MACO's right shoulder, he was pushed forward, and with a little squeeze from the right arm, his neck broke. The dead body hit the ground with a terrible, _phlump! _

His comrade, the private, stared in shock at his dead friend. "John Harrison that is enough!" Kalu bellowed, making the warrior hesitate slightly, near programmed to follow orders. The private suddenly screamed, overwhelmed by rage and hate, charged at the warrior.

As the private charged with wild abandon, the warrior simply and coolly stepped left, completely wrong footing the young MACO. The MACO lashed out, but missed completely. The warrior took his left wrist, and leaning back, launched a savage side kick straight into his side. The private was stopped dead, ribs broke, organs ruptured, torn apart by a mix of sharp and broken bone and the sheer power of the attack. The warrior followed this up with a hard jab to his jaw, smashing it completely, and then kicked his side for a second time. The private was just conscious enough to let out a small sigh. Two last motions, the merciless warrior punched him in the back of the head, a strong right hook, his most powerful strike yet. All he had to do now was let go, letting the defeated man slump to the floor.

"John Harrison, that, is, ENOUGH!" The warrior stopped dead. There was no more fight to be had here, this officer was unwilling to fight, and the other four seemed too bewildered to even act. Keeping his eyes fixed on the warrior, hit his comms. link "Lieutenant Kalu to sick bay, we need med teams to cryo room 3XB, medical emergency" He shut of his comm. "Is your kind capable of nothing other than pain and death?" He would pay for his crimes after this was over.

The warrior was not about to be insulted by this maggot. He still had a score to settle, violence wasn't the only way. "You killed all my brothers, Federation swine! They were my friends, my family, and now you imprison me here like some wild dog?" Finally venting his fury on the men he hated so much "Your brothers are here...Mr Harrison. LOOK FOR YOURSELF!" He paused...what trickery was this? He looked around, these were the same pods as before, heavily corroded, but still the very same. But, he had seen the explosions himself, the missiles they were...the missiles were destroyed...but...oh...oh! He hated the captain more than ever now, had he really been so dumb?

"My brothers...are alive..." He breathed, it was too good to be true, Federation types weren't as bad as he thought...but the pods, so corroded "What year is this?" He demanded menacingly "Stardate, 56947.032" Answered Kalu, looking at his wrist system. The warrior did the conversion in his head, quickly...and was filled with hate once more "You have had me frozen, for over 120 years? Why?" He screamed, his voice rising to a crescendo. Kalu was jut glad that the fight was over, Because of what you did, Mr Harrison"

The warrior was stunned, and all anger suddenly left him. He had done what he had because he cared nothing for these insects, because he would do anything to protect his people. His kind had been destroyed by the humans, that's why he had done it. But now...now there was still hope. "My name...human, is Kahn!"

* * *

"Ah, you must be the ambassador, what may we call you?" Benjamin Sisko asked the tall-ish alien politely, concealing any negative thoughts that he had "Ah, I am aware of you: Kor'el Sisko, leader of this outpost, most admirable. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Aun'shi of the Vio'la sept. I am here to represent the Tau, I am honoured to be here, I am honoured to be meeting your kind under such good circumstances" Sisko smiled in response, at least the Ethereal didn't have to take in a long winded name, but it was curious how Aun'shi addressed him...


	6. Key Impressions

Subspace network: Code Zeta, high priority.

Celestial astrography database update: Level of necessity, servere.

Preliminary scans...completed, special coordinates: 134423-DV.

Update accepted, broadcasting to the rest of the collective...re-programming accepted, ready to proceed.

Significant alterations: Presence of at least three Tier-2 civilizations, new species, unknown, present inside of new astrographical regions.

Estimation of over 400 Class M worlds, representing one fifth of total planetary bodies...high concentration of habitable worlds, evidence of terraforming, unusual.

Assessment:

Spatial data indicates artificial warp signatures and deep penetration subspace anomalies.

Spatial data indicates species of unusual genetic functions

Spatial data indicates civilizations of high density population counts.

Spatial data indicates presence of advanced combat technology.

Assessment: Complete.

First Priority: Reconnaissance, specific data must be recovered for computation of strategic capacity.

Second Priority: Combat capabilities testing, real world simulation: Authorised. Fleets enroot.

Final Priority: Assimilation of all biological and technological attributes, they shall be included into our likeness.

Resistance is Futile, they shall be Assimilated!

* * *

"Ladies, Gentlemen, men and women of the Federation!" The elected speaker of the proceedings began in earnest "First Delegation of the Tau people. We welcome you warmly here to our station. Human kind, like many amongst the Federation, have always been a people of explorers, we are glad to be meeting wit your kind for the first time. Welcome to Deep Space Nine ambassadors"

The Tau delegates had demanded that a speaker be elected to represented by their congregation, to act as a mediator between the two groups. The Tau had also brought forth a mediator, Por'ui Tau, Ea Dao (The well received), never had he insulted the ambassadors of another race or culture. "We accept your greetings with warm and open arms, and likewise we extent equal greetings to the people of the Federation, with whom our cultures share much in common with" The words he spoke had been chosen carefully by his ethereal, Aun'shi.

They sat inside the meeting room. Many chairs, seated around four rings, ascending as they went outwards, like a miniature amphitheatre. Crimson cusions surrounded by matte grey frames, Spartan but comfortable, much like the captains chair aboard most Starfleet vessels. The Tau were on one side, the Federation on the other. The most senior members were at the back, their inferiors seated at the front. The two speakers stood at Plexiglas podiums at the centre of the amphitheatre, standing at the pit, their lords and masters observing their every move and action. Aun'shi stood, he did not like sitting on any occasions, he wouldn't change, he would never admit his age.

Oh Aun'shi, his greatest years were well behind him...his fighting years had ended long ago. In his prime, the vibrant Ethereal had been a force of nature. Energetic and charismatic even amongst his kind, he had been a fair leader, and even more so, a powerful warrior. During his youth, Aun'shi had always been more at home amongst the members of the Fire caste above all others, and had seen war up close and first hand.

He was an unmatched warrior, brave and peerless. In what was supposed to be his final assignment before retirement, he was sent to the planet of Kel'tyr, to oversee a mining colony dealing with savage Ork tribesmen. The colony had been assaulted by a significantly sized ork war band, and during the surprise attack, the Shas'vre commander had been slain. Overrun, Aun'shi had taken over command, and ordered his fire warriors to fall back to a barricaded shrine within the centre of the town.

now, last stands were abhorred amongst tau culture, take and hold missions were alien concepts to their war philosophy. Never the less, with no where to run to, no shuttles available, and with an Ethereal amongst them...no one was going anywhere!

As dusk fell, Aun'shi and less than fifty Fire Warriors remained to protect the town. Aun'shi stood at the door to the shrine and stood his ground, holding his weapon, a great honour blade of incredible craftsmanship. An honour blade made use of superlight alloys and nano formed polymers to form an incredibly strong, uncannily light weapon. Seven feet in length, like a halberd, or an eastern Kuan do, perfectly balanced, and wielded in a manner that was too fast for the human eye to follow. The slow and dull witted orks, with their low initiative and heavy axes had stood little chance.

Not moving even when the doors themselves were ripped from their frames, the elder Tau had held his ground, and slain orks in their droves. Suddenly, the Ork forces were thrown into disarray as Tau reinforcements attacked: Devilfish troop carriers, supported by veteran Crisis Battlesuit teams quickly devastated the Ork mobs, scattering the survivors.

Aun'shi still stood at the shrine's door, his long spear like blade slick with Ork blood. The Ethereal shrine still stood and the mines of Fio'vash remained in Tau hands. From that day on, Aun'shi would remain a hero amongst the Tau of the Vior'la Sept forever, and had erected one hundred beautiful marble monuments in his name upon their home world. Little did they know, the men of the Federation and their Klingon guest were in the company of a force to be reckoned with.

"We are, all of us honoured to meet you, all of you. We recognise you as wise and enlightened beings, and have nothing but the greatest respect for you, just as we have for all who are compatible with the knowledge of the Greater Good. Therefore, we the Tau recognise all those races who are brought into our fold, may I introduce to you Verlok, Tanax and Korak-Bo. They are the Kroot, they are the most highly regarded of all our allies, they are here to represent my people, and all others within our culture who have learned to embrace the guiding message of the Greater Good" The three aliens bowed low, with much grace and dignity.

The opposite end of the room had noticed these others. Tall, lithe and thin, obviously of avian origin, with feathers and spines forming from their sinuous arms, legs and bestial looking head and faces. Unlike the regal finery of the Tau diplomats and their armoured bodyguard, still and intimidating. The Kroot wore simple bandoleers, loose hanging cotton-like robes and carried an assortment of bags and satchels. They reminded Sisko of native Americans, and looked more like poachers and mercenaries than diplomats.

Jean-Luc however was taken by a different piece of info. 'This Greater Good' that these Tau kept referring to. There was something disconcerting about it, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It sounded secular in nature, some kind of pseudo religion perhaps? Or it may have just been an innocent term lost in translation.

"Jean-Luc Picard" Ea Dao said suddenly, surprising the captain a little. He was calling him to the podium. He did as commanded, and as he stepped up, immediately responded "Yes, Ambassador?" The Tau smiled back, this man was almost unfazed by the suddenness of the address, almost! He had more dignity than the Imperial types, more subdued, calmer, in control of his passions..."My Lord Aun'Va, he is the master of all my kind, and he would have many questions in regard to your galaxy and your people...you categorize your realm as a Federation, yes?"

Picard turned to the Lord Admiral, highest of rank in the room. The Admiral nodded, he had permission to speak. "That is correct Por'ui. My people and the other representatives embrace the ideal of attempting to better oneself, achieving their fullest potential as individuals. We dedicate our lives to further ideals of enlightenment, freedom and peace. Such ideals that, unfortunately, are under threat from many who do not share such beliefs..." "Most noble ideals, human" The envoy replied. "Most noble indeed, I did not expect to find such values within your hearts, we have experienced many barbaric people within this galaxy..." Leaving out the fact that this included mankind.

Picard simply smiled and nodded, he took it as a compliment. Ea Dao continued "You mentioned that these ideals are currently under threat. I am curious, to what do you refer to, good Kor'vre?" Picard was a little confused, Kor'vre? He continued, undeterred "The Dominion ambassador: They are a collective of many different alien species, they are a people bent on the subjugation of our territory and most likely the destruction of our culture and beliefs" Ea Dao bowed, face stern, he was most troubled by this "We have encountered these people before. Blood has already been spilt, it is a shame...for their faults, they had much courage, and their technology is most fascinating, It is such a shame..."

They were not compatible with the Greater Good. It was a bitter moment, the Dominion represented just one more obstacle for the progression of the Tau and their values "...so, as I can deduce, you are at war with this Dominion?" Picard nodded bitterly "Yes, we are. They have inflicted great harm on the Federation, thousands have been killed by them" Ea Dao nodded, he understood, he could empathise with this human, any loss of life, no matter how small, was always a tragedy. "So, despite your self-professed ideals, you still succumb to war!" He said with indignation.

Now, most bystanders would have interpreted this as an insult. But Jean-Luc knew better "Force is always a last resort amongst the Federation..." The Lord Admiral coughed suddenly, Picard suddenly wondered if he was giving too much away...best not look like pushovers "...We must defend ourselves, we must fight"

The Tau envoy began muttering amongst themselves. They had not expected this, they were deeply impressed by the human, and this Federation. If this Picard was being honest, the Federation was, to date, the most advanced civilization they had ever encountered...and the most peaceful...it was unheard of, they were almost pacifists! "Most realistic Kor'vre, it is wise that you do not wield your peaceful values at the expense of your realm's safety" It was a long winded way of saying that the Federation wasn't stupid enough to dismiss the value of war and defence within a hostile galaxy.

These people were wise, Ea Dao stepped down from his podium. He asked his superiors if they were ready to proceed, should they take the risk? It was agreed. Ea Dao stepped back up, exhaled and straightened up. He was ready, but he was not sure. "Naturally then..." he began "...An enlightened race or civilization such as yourself would recognise the need for a common good, a, 'Greater Good', if you will" He was still addressing Picard, who nodded in agreement. "Naturally, of course...A, 'greater good' is what, as I said, the Federation strives for. We do not seek personal gain or selfish reward, as we did in the past. Our purpouse is the betterment of our fellow man, and all races within the Federation. We disdain any kind of selfish pursuit, for personal gain or otherwise"

This human kept surprising him...he had not thought them capable. But Ea Dao was also troubled, this understanding did not match up with his understanding of the Greater Good, was this a meaning lost in translation? There was a huge difference between the betterment of all species and the holy belief that all Tau held. There could be no rival, no challenger, they would be educated soon enough. "Than, perhaps, you would be wise enough as to embrace the values that the Tau hold so dear. That you would be wise enough to let go of your flawed ideals and embrace the Greater Good as your own"

You could have heard a pin drop inside the chamber. "Pardon me?" The Lord Admiral barked in question. Ea Dao was confused, the atmosphere of the room had changed completely. Most concerned of all was Aun'shi, he had just realised that they would not embrace the Greater Good without question. "The Greater Good, human, is different from the ambiguous term you use. The Greater Good is a belief held by all Tau, and all our comrades, Kroot, Vespid, Nicassar, all! It is the belief that we must create a strong and truly harmonious society amongst the stars. A society that encompasses all intelligent beings that live and breathe amongst the stars and walk under the singular banner of the Tau and the Greater Good of all life and all Tau"

"Ah..." Picard whispered, clearly unsure what to say. "Captain Picard, please re-take your seat. I shall speak now" It was the Lord Admiral himself. Some of the Federation delegates gasped, they had not expected him to respond directly. Picard followed the order, and the old man took the stage. Everyone trusted the Lord Admiral's judgement, he was very old, he had signed the Federation charter all those years ago. If the Federation had Ethereals, this man was as close as it got. "Good ambassador, Por'ui Tau, Ea Dao. I address you, your lord Aun'shi, and his Lord Aun'Va, master of all Tau. You must understand, surely, the severity of the request that you have just asked of us?"

Ea Dao, like many Tau, wasn't even aware of many of the counter arguments towards the Greater Good. He did not understand "Admiral, Kor'O. Surely you of all people must understand th-" "Por'ui! hold your words, your part in this matter has ended for now. Only an Ethereal must address such matters!" Por'ui bowed low, he followed without question. It was then that Aun'Shi took the stage in person. He would try and salvage the situation before such an act became impossible

"Admiral, noble leader. I regret that this situation has developed amongst us. This decision, this request, occurred without my blessing. I will deal with my inferiors' transgression later...such lack of judgement. They are fanatics, they uphold the Greater Good without question. It is not something that I have ever sanctioned, or agreed with. However, the Greater Good has been extended to you. It has been extended in an act of good will, to all people, to all species. We do so because the Greater Good is a force for good. It destroys war, it breaks down discrimination and distrust amongst the different people of the galaxy, and perhaps, one day, the universe. The Greater Good bestows the promise of progress and enlightenment amongst those who have not known such things before. The Greater Good is meant to end poverty, end suffering, and manufacture a time of peace and love for ever more amongst the universe. If only the universe could learn to cooperate".

The Lord Admiral nodded, it was an impressive speech...but there was still a single problem "You would wish all sapient beings to embrace this Greater Good, this much is clear. However, would the embracement of this Greater Good entail...the loss of our sovereignty?" Aun'shi was making progress now. If he had the capacity to sweat, he might have just wiped it from his brow. "There was a species called the Demiurge...nomads, they had no home world. (Failing to mention that they had just lost contact with the race) We developed a compromise between them. They contributed to the Greater Good, and their contributing did not result in the immediate loss of their sovereignty"

Not good enough for the Admiral, he responded cool and deadpan "Immediate loss? Would the Greater Good eventually demand the loss of sovereignty?" Aun'shi sighed "Ultimately, only complete integration into the Tau infrastructure can lead to the true fulfilment of the Greater Good. For only then, would all conflict be ended. Tribalism can never be tolerated" The Admiral was starting to wonder if this Greater Good was for the benefit of the unverse...or that of the Tau. "I understand now" He replied grimly, he knew how this would end.

"Do not worry, Admiral". Aun'shi continued "The path to the Greater Good is often long and arduous. We are not barbaric, we are enlightened and we are understanding. We do not ask you to give up your sovereignty immediately...We will make our leave. We have said all that needs saying. I admire your people now, I only hope that they will see reason..."

The Lord Admiral was scared now. He just wanted these aliens out of Federation space. "Thank you ambassador, this talk has been most, enlightening" Aun'shi couldn't miss the double meaning. Such a shame...some things never changed about humans.

The Ethereal and his entourage, followed by their imposing fire warriors, were escorted in columns, surrounded by Worf and his security team. They were successfully lead of the station, and as their massive ship departed, they left a very troubled Federation in their wake.

It was then that the Lord Admiral took his leave, he would head back to earth immediately, there was some old friends he needed to consult with...


End file.
